Seven Reasons To Drink Warm Lemon Water Every Morning

August 7, 2013|Detoxing, Food & Beverage|Caroline Sarda3

Imagine if there was one simple trick that you could do every morning to help your body detox, improve digestion, give you energy, and lose fat by stimulating your metabolism. Well, there is and you’re going to love how easy it is.

Seven reasons to drink warm lemon water every morning

• Helps your body eliminate toxins – “Lemon juice flushes out unwanted materials and toxins from the body. It’s atomic composition is similar to saliva and the hydrochloric acid of digestive juices. It encourages the liver to produce bile which is an acid that is required for digestion. Lemons are also high in minerals and vitamins and help loosen ama, or toxins, in the digestive tract…The American Cancer Society actually recommends offering warm lemon water to cancer sufferers to help stimulate bowel movements.” ¹
• Improves your digestion – Lemon juice helps your body improve digestion and stimulates bile production. Lemon juice can even help with heartburn and indigestion.
• Boosts your immune system – Lemons contain citric acid, magnesium, bioflavonoids, vitamin C, pectin, calcium and limonene, which supercharge our immunity so that the body can fight infection. ²
• Boosts your energy – The scent of lemon has mood enhancing and energizing properties. The smell of lemon juice alone can brighten your mood and help clear your mind. Lemon can also help reduce anxiety and depression.
• Alkalizes your body – Yep, even though lemons seem acidic, they are one of the most alkalizing foods for the body. Most people are too acidic (because of their diets) and drinking warm lemon water helps reduce overall acidity.
• Helps with weight loss – Because lemons are high in pectin fiber, they help fight hunger cravings. Studies have also shown that people who maintain a more alkaline diet lose weight faster.
• Good for the skin. Vitamin C and other antioxidants are known to help decrease wrinkles, blemishes, and combat free radical damage. The vitamin C contained in the lemon rejuvenates the skin from within your body.

Making Your Warm Lemon Water

Start your day off right with a glass of warm lemon water. As soon as you wake up, squeeze about 1/2 to 1 full lemon*, organic if possible, into an 8-12 oz glass of warm (not hot) purified water.  Wait at least 20 if not 30 minutes before eating anything.

Do NOT use bottled lemon juice. You need the real deal and yes, it does need to be freshly squeezed.

* If you weigh less than 150 pounds and are in good health, squeeze half a fresh lemon (about one ounce) in 12 to 16 ounces of filtered water first thing in the morning for the best cleansing benefits.  If you weigh over 150 pounds, squeeze a whole lemon (two ounces) into filtered water and drink it twice daily. However, if this is too strong, dilute it to taste.

How to Pick your Lemons

According to Ann Heustad, R.N. “Some lemons are more sweet than others. A rule of thumb for selecting a lemon that is both sweet and high in mineral content, is to pick one that has a high specific gravity measurement and is heavy for its size. By comparing equal-sized fruit, the one with the greatest weight will have the most mineral content and sugar. A thick skinned lemon will not be as heavy as a thin skinned lemon and will not have the desired sweetness or mineral content.

The method I use to ensure the purchase of sweet lemons is to look at the stem end of the lemon. There are two ends on the lemon. One end has a point where the blossom started to grow; the other end has a stem or a dimple where the stem used to be located. On the stem end of a highly mineralized, sweet lemon, you will see little lines radiating out of the stem like sunbeams. These little lines can look like a star shaped structure and is called a calyx. The calyx may have three, four, five or more points to the star. The greater the number of points on the calyx, the higher the mineral content of the lemon.” ³

Do you drink lemon water every morning? What’s your favorite morning ritual that gives your day a healthy start?

References

[1] 10 Benefits to Drinking Warm Lemon Water Every Morning

[2] TheAlternativeDaily.com 3 Reasons to Start Your Day with Warm Lemon Water

[3] The Amazing Health Benefits of Drinking Lemon Water

Drink this First thing in the Morning by Mike Geary – Certified Nutrition Specialist